Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Here’s one that was sent to me by Mengzhe Z. all the way from China! Thank you! He contacted me a while back asking me if I’d ever reviewed these Hua Feng noodles and I hadn’t. He says they’re his favorite. So, what are the three fresh delicacies? Well, we’re going with chicken, shrimp and egg from the package, however it might not be egg but onion or perhaps shallot. Maybe mushroom. Let’s check out this variety from Hua Feng, all the way from China!
Well, it has been a long time coming but here it is. This is the one I’ve been looking for. For three years. Why so hard to get? It’s really popular in Taiwan – why couldn’t I get it? Simple. Beef. There’s a big pouch of beef in here – not artificial beef, but real beef. I got this in Taiwan and brought it back with me. It’s kind of stupid; if someone sent this to me in the mail, it’d get stopped by the USDA inspectors that check the mail. I go there and pack it in my stuff, it comes through fine. What’s nice too is that it is in perfect condition; like I went to the store here and bought it and brought it home. Let’s crack this thing open and take a gander at this huge pack of noodles.
Here’s an interesting one I was sent by Colin recently – thanks again! A new brand to me – I mean wow – look at all those 9’s! This sounds interesting… Here’s a little something about Sichuan from Wikipedia –
One of the waning few left from the Nissin Foods Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer – thanks again! Indeed, Nissin Hong Kong was more than generous in sending over 50 different varieties! Nothing better than a great big injection of noodle varieties into my noodle hampers. At one point, I had to have them staying in their original box since they wouldn’t fit into the containers I have under my desk. Today, we have a seafood Demae Iccho cup. Looks pretty good from the picture of the front -. Let’s have a look at this one.
Today, I’m reviewing something from Hong Kong. These are in 5 packs – and the individual packs haven’t got bar codes. Indeed, I have wondered why I couldn’t find individual servings of this one, but that definitely makes sense now; hard to sell a variety without a bar code. Why don’t they put bar codes on them? I don’t know, but they definitely want you to buy a pack. For those who aren’t in the know about XO sauce, here’s a little something from wikipedia:
Wow check this out! This is one I’ve reviewed many times before but this is a new version that comes in a little box! Thank you to MyKuali for sending this along! Indeed, their Penang White Curry was #1 on my annual top ten list is 2014, and it’s appeared on top ten lists since then. It’s amazing stuff; very strong flavors and aroma. When I visited Malaysia in 2014, I got to get a real sense of the foods there. In fact, I got to try many, many varieties of their cuisine! I tried lots of seafood of which I really liked the sunfish.
Here’s one I got at 7-Eleven in Taipei, Taiwan in November of last year. I’ve been wanting to review these bowls for a very long time, but never have been able to get any through – nobody’s ever tried though. So what is this ‘Man-Han Feast’ anyways? Here’s some info from Wikipedia –
Here’s one I got in the Jason’s Market on the first floor of the Taipei 101 in Taiwan last November. I believe this World O’Noodles line is from a big grocery store chain in Southeast Asia – not 100% sure on that, but pretty sure. Garlic Mi Goreng? Oh yeah – sign me up! I’m hoping that this will be a delightful and delicious instant from Indonesia. Let’s have a look at this World O’Noodle variety.
After a long time, I finally go to visit a little store I used to frequent a lot. I went to visit Indian Sweets And Snacks yesterday in north Seattle/Shoreline. First off, you’ll note that these are indeed Nissin Top Ramen. Second, you’ll note that they don’t look like any you’ve seen before. Indeed, these are from India – where masala, curry and other flavors are very popular. Who is the character on the front? Top Boy! We usually don’t see a lot of this kind of thing in the United States. In conclusion, Ultimately, I call on all noodle companies to have a cartoon character! I think it’s kind of fun. Let’s check this Top Ramen Masala out.
Well, today is my birthday and I’m up at 5am getting this post ready. Actually it’s 6am now – I’ve been getting all my ducks in a row (actually chickens har har) in order to post The Ramen Rater’s Definitive Guide To Samyang Foods’ Buldak Bokkeummyun. It’s a total of 9 posts including the guide itself that I’m putting up today. A lot of work, that’s for sure and I’m rushing to get it up.
Here’s the newest variety from Samyang Foods’ Buldak Bokkeummyun line. Curry! I make no illusion to the fact that I absolutely think that curry is the finest thing in the universe. I freaking love curry. Here’s a little about Korean c urry from Wikipedia –
I’ve reviewed a lot of snack noodles in my day and still delight in the comments I get about them. I get people telling me about smashing domestic US varieties, sprinkling the seasoning on them and eating them raw; kind of like they’ve uncovered something fascinating, new and innovative. Unfortunately – I have to break it to y’all, but this isn’t anything new. Moreover, varieties designed and sold in South Korea to be smashed and sprinkled and enjoyed have been around for a long time.
This one came by way of eBay seller 1theKorea – they’ve got all sorts of neat South Korean varieties, and lots of the spicy ones that aren’t the easiest to find or are unavailable in the USA.
Today, it’s more chicken. This is another one left over from the Nissin Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer – they set so many different kinds – it’s awesome! This is a Demae Iccho version – here’s some info bout Nissin and Demae Iccho from Wikipedia –
Got this bowl quite a while back – I’ve got lots of new varieties and still trying to clear out the ones that are close to expiration! So let’s ask Wikipedia about wonton noodles –
Been awhile since I’ve had something Vietnamese… This one sounds tasty – sour crab! This bowl has a lot of things inside, so let’s get to it!
Here’s one that comes by way of a kind reader named Colin from the US east coast – thanks again! He’s dispatches a TON of instant noodles which I can’t find anywhere! This one looks interesting – these are from India! Here’s a little from Wikipedia about masala –
Here’s one sent by Colin – thanks! I think I saw this one years ago up in Canada – I honestly think I got it but never reviewed it back then. Here’s a little about kalguksu from Wikipedia:
Hey now this looks interesting! Reminds me of the look of Hong Kong Cup Noodles or ones from Japan. So this is a new line from Nissin Mexico – Gourmet – hopefully the first of many to try. But what is gourmet? Dictionary.com had this to say –
Another sent by Colin – thanks! So this is one of a new line from India within the last year or so. Looks to be vegetarian and to have peas in there. Here’s a little about the company from Wikipedia –
Here’s a new jjajangmyun from Paldo of South Korea sent by Yongmin Park of Paldo. Thank you very much! For those of you unfamiliar with jjajangmyeon, here’s some info from wikipedia:
Here’s one I got at the Carrefour store in Taipei at the bottom of the Miramar Entertainment Park mall. It was on sale and definitely something I didn’t expect to see. There was a bunch of articles that came out about this variety a while back – it was popular many years ago and discontinued and then brought back to the delight of consumers. Noodles with a picture of a giraffe in a bow tie on the front? Yeah; this sounds neat. Let’s check out this revisited classic from Japan!
Here’s another one from Colin – thanks! So, wwhat’s CXO sauce? Here’s some info from wikipedia:
This is one I brought back with me from Taiwan! Happy Cook is a brand that one of the factories in Taichung makes.
This was sent to me by Ippin, a purveyor of wonderful Japanese items! Thank you again! They informed me that this one has been discontinued, but I’m reviewing it anyways. I really like curry, spicy things and chicken. What’s more, it’s snowing today! Let’s give this Cup Noodle with a famous tennis player on the front!
A lot of people these days are giving up meat and switching to the Vegan lifestyle. So, what’s the difference between Vegetarian and Vegan? It seems like there are many different ‘flavors’ of Vegetarianism. For example, I have a friend who claims to be vegetarian, however he eats bacon, eggs and Jack In The Box fast food tacos. Here’s what wikipedia has to say about Veganism:
Here’s one I really like. It has what I like to call a ‘back and forth effect flavor.’ It’s like you get one flavor lingering then your palate gets the hint of another flavor, then back to the first. It’s really unique in this way – reminds me of one of my favorite hot sauces – not in the taste, mind you, but this kind of back and forth. Let’s check it out!
During my trip to Taiwan in November of 2016, I had the opportunity to try the three varieties of the new Xiao Ban Mian line. I remember this one in particular; it was really quite good and I only got a bite or two of it – my sister actually scarfed this one down quickly! Now, back in the controlled environment of my noodle lab (sounds more amazing than it is, really), I’m really excited to give this a try. Let’s check it out!
So I remember the first time I tried this one a couple years ago. Indeed, it is spicy! Sichuan pepper is a little different kind of spicy in contrast to a jalapeno or wasabi – here’s a little info about the Sichuan pepper from wikipedia:
Here’s one I’ve liked for a while . In fact, it’s on the Taiwanese op Ten list! I really like shrimp as well as onion! I thought since I’ve had the opportunity to try a nice amount of Taiwanese food now, I’d share this info about their food from wikipedia:
So today we kick off Meet The Manufacturer with a unique variety – pepper and sesame sauce. First, this is black pepper, not hot chill. Second, sesame sauce is completely different from sesame oil. Sesame sauce has a more peanut butter kind of texture and flavor whereas sesame oil has that strong sesame scent and saltiness. Let’s dig into this one and get things started!
Here’s one sent by Marvin R. from Texas – thanks again! I have trouble getting new varieties from India. It’s prertty far away and usually my only source are Indian grocery stores here. Here’s a little about Maggi instant noodles from Wikipedia:
It’s kind of interesting. Indeed, I review two products a day but generally only post one. This ensures two things. First, I get to everything before it expires. Second, I have a buffer in case I don’t have time to do a review. Meanwhile, the buffer has grown and is quickly reaching 80 reviews! I did this review on November 13th, 2016 and today is Inauguration Day, January 20th, 2017. It’s kind of funny; I did this review about as many days before my daughter Miriam was born as days since she was born (December 17th). Another interesting thing is while unplanned, this review follows Momofuku Ando Day yesterday where I did a video about Nissin Yakisoba. Weird. Finally Happy Birthday to my sister Sue!
Another leftover from the Nissin Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer – thanks again! Been waiting for the right day to review this one – I should mention today actually is November 8th, 2016 – election day here in the United States. You see, I’m about sixty reviews ahead of myself. How? Well, I usually try to do two reviews a day – and been doing that for a while. I used to only do one a day and if I missed a day I would have to scramble to do a review and post it the same day etc etc. I can hear it ‘oh my god you eat two packs of instant noodles every day?’ Of course not; people reviewing wines don’t chug down a whole bottle to decide what they think of it. I take a couple spoons of broth and a few bites of noodle. In fact, I would say that after reviewing two bowls of noodles, I’ve maybe had the equivalent of 1/3 of a bowl, so there you go. This way if I need to take a couple days off, I can. Well, by now we know who is the new president when you’re seeing this. My daughter Miriam will have been born and Christmas may be over. Crazy. Well, let’s try this one – the cup version was in this year’s The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of all Time list – let’s check the pack out!
This is the third of this line of new products from Sichuan Baijia that I’ve tried recently and what’s neat is that there are bowls too so I’m going to have to try those soon too. The others have definitely been spicy hot but this one says spicy hot. I think this may be a contender! Yesterday’s review of the cheese buldak bokkummyun fire noodle challenge noodle was super hot! Let’s give this a looksie and see how hot it is!
One of the more interesting varieties left over from the Nissin Foods Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer. This one’s very new; a two-serving pack with a pork bone broth and black garlic oil fun! Let’s check it out!
I haven’t generally been a fan of abalone and chicken instant noodles. I’m crossing my fingers here though. Let’s give it a try!
This is another one sent by Colin from the east coast – thanks again! So pork bone broth is hugely popular in Japan and this sounds like a soy and pork variety to me. Let’s check out this premium variety!
I’ve liked jjamppong for a while now. For those of you not familiar with it, it’s kind of like a spicy Korean seafood hnoodle soup. Let’s check it out!
Here’s another one left over from the Nissin HK Meet The Manufacturer – they sent so many varieties! Thank you again! So, everyone knows what tonkotsu is, right? No? Here’s a snippet from Wikipedia:
